PUFA Deficiency Impacts AMD

SALT LAKE CITYA deficiency in long-chain and very long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs, VLC-PUFAs) may adversely affect eye health and influence the development of age-related macular degeneration, according to a new study (J Lipid Res. ePub 5 Aug 2010. DOI: 10.1194/jlr.M007518). Researchers from the Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah noted fatty acids play important roles in normal retinal function and visual development, although the majority of research has focused on the long-chain PUFAs up to 22-carbons in length, including docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a 22:6(n-3) fat.

The research team developed gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) methods to detect both LC- and VLC-PUFAs and applied them to the study of changes in ocular aging and AMD. In the area of ocular aging, some VLC-PUFAs in retina and retinal pigment peaked in middle aged. Further, compared to age-matched donors, subjects with AMD had significantly lower levels of DHA and some VLC-PUFAs in their retina and pigment, and also had a significantly increased ratio of n-6 to n-3 PUFAs. They concluded a deficiency of the longer-chain PUFAs, possibly coupled with a concurrent imbalance in the n-6/n-3 ratio, could affect the development of AMD.